


Any Kind of Love (But True Love)

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Mad Men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-19
Updated: 2007-12-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 05:29:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1633955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joan has things pretty well figured out.  Slight Joan/Roger, thoughts of other pairings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Any Kind of Love (But True Love)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta, T, for being her.
> 
> Written for Cendri

 

 

Set pre-s1 finale, sometime during the season. Joan gen, because Joan is awesome.

***

Joan never let herself be surprised. That was the key to living confidently, being sure of herself in every situation. Part of it was living in the big city and adopting that New York view of having seen it all before, but a larger part of it was Joan herself. She had mastered her poker face years before, never showing any reaction to the catcalling boys in school, or to the girls who stage-whispered about the nerve some girls had to wear dresses that showed off their curves. By not responding, she maintained the upper hand, and this proved so useful that she trained herself to go through life with a smile, a knowing, sly smile that intrigued people as much as it kept them at a distance. If something surprising ever happened, Joan's clever smile made her look as if she had been half-expecting it all along, and many people - especially men - found that irresistible. Her mother was less than impressed, but then again, Joan had stopped listening to her mother relatively early in life, so that didn't stop her. Her mother never figured out how to exert her power over men, a skill Joan had developed practically in adolescence. Joan's mother had instead married the first man who showed the slightest interest in her, and then spent the rest of her life wondering why she wasn't happy. Joan realized that to avoid that unpleasant fate, she had to figure out what she wanted, and then make it happen. 

Surprising things did happen, from time to time, but Joan never seemed surprised. Mr. Sterling had come on to her in his office one day - well, that hadn't been a surprise anyway, she was really just wondering when he'd do it - and she started sleeping with him. She had not been expecting to like him so much, or enjoy his rather silly flirting, as she had sort of figured he was too much of a letch to take seriously. But Roger was sweet to her, in his way. Sweeter than she wanted him to be. Joan got involved with married men because they were as uninterested in a relationship as she was, but Roger, for all his willingness to sleep with any pretty redhead who came his way, actually did love her a little. That was a bit of a surprise. She never meant for people to fall in love with her, but they just seemed to. Like Carol. Joan knew what it meant to have someone's eyes follow you a little too closely, or to have a casual touch last a few seconds too long. She hadn't been surprised when Carol confessed her love, but she had been disappointed. Carol wasn't the perfect roommate - she never got along with anyone she worked with, so she was often unemployed and grumpy - but Joan had at least thought she'd keep her feelings to herself, and not cause problems. However, Joan handled that situation as she'd handled unwanted advances so many times before. It was sweet of Carol to say, but Joan preferred to forget it had ever happened, and continue on snaring older, richer men to buy her drinks. 

She loved working at Sterling Cooper. She loved the power of being the office manager, being in charge of what kept the place ticking. Ad copy and artwork might've been what paid the bills, but the copywriters and creative directors would be nowhere without her. She liked that she knew everyone, even if she had no reason to know who they were. She kept track of everyone, paying special attention to some. Roger, for one. Don, for another. She had been interested in Don since she came to the firm. His eyes never tracked her rear as she walked by, unlike so many of the other ad men. And she could tell it wasn't because he didn't like women, as she had her suspicions about one or two of Sterling Cooper's employees in that regard. He loved women. He just seemed to have a strict code about what he would allow himself to do. That certainly didn't preclude adultery, as Peggy had once let slip. But it did mean not getting involved at the office. She knew Roger was a partner and Don was not, but if he had ever looked her way... well, Joan was sort of glad he hadn't. Wouldn't be a smart career move, dropping a partner to start up with one of his subordinates. God knew she had her pick of Roger's employees, and had perhaps taken advantage of that from time to time. But she shed them when she started up with Roger. Men could be so possessive like that, she'd rather not tempt fate. Joan knew better than put herself in a situation in which she could be embarrassed. She wouldn't be upset that people knew she had more than one lover, but she knew the men might not be as comfortable with that as she was. And they were married, too. She refused to be a part of that silly posturing. Roger was enough of Sterling Cooper's workforce for her right now. 

She was content doing what she was doing, living in New York, meeting men and letting them buy her things. She was where she wanted to be. She looked with disdain upon the wives of the Sterling Cooper men, coming in from the suburbs with children and expensive clothing and vacant expressions. She had no intention of becoming one of them, whatever her mother might so subtly suggest. She was waiting until she found a man who let her dress the way she wanted, and continue working. She suspected she might never find someone like that, and that was all right. There would always be men who wanted to buy her things, and people who fell in love with her, and quite possibly a combination of the two. When the time was right, Joan would make her next move. And there would be no surprises. 

 


End file.
